5/20/2023 0 Comments Blazers vs nuggets![]() ![]() Nurkic also contributed on offense with 10 second-half points and three assists. Jokic got the better of Nurkic in the first half with 22 points, but the Blazers’ big man did a much better job in the second half and limited the Nuggets’ MVP candidate to only 12 points. Nurkic took on the difficult challenge of making things tough for Nikola Jokic. Their shooting helped stretch the Denver defense and open things up for Lillard and C.J. Simons and Anthony brought a nice pop of scoring from the Trail Blazers bench, combining for 32 points and shooting an excellent 8-of-13 from 3-point range. ![]() Lillard’s 15 third-quarter points helped Portland turn that nine-point deficit into a 10-point lead.Īnfernee Simons, Carmelo Anthony and Jusuf Nurkic all had major contributions to the win. In the third quarter when Denver took a nine-point lead, he flipped the script and looked to score. He was able to focus on getting teammates involved early with eight first-half assists. Leading the way for the Blazers was star point guard Damian Lillard. Let’s dig deeper to see if we can find an angle to bet on. ![]() Denver will need to shoot closer to its season average of 37.7% if it hopes to advance.ĭespite the Blazers’ convincing win, Denver still opened 1.5-point favorites for game two. However, the Nuggets could not overcome a cold day from 3-point range, only shooting 11-for-36. Denver was able to use its size advantage to outscore Portland in the paint 52-38 and shoot 50.5% from the floor. The loss looks bad at face value, but there is hope for the Nuggets in Game 2. We’ ll see if they can keep the hot hand throughout the playoffs, though. Since the Blazers’ playoff push started on April 27, their 43.2% 3-point percentage ranked first in the league to close the regular season, per NBA.com. The key for Portland was its 19-of-40 shooting from behind the arc. The Portland Trail Blazers were able to take the series opener, 123-109, on Saturday night for the biggest margin of victory on the playoffs’ opening day. ![]()
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